Breathe Me
by SayYouWill
Summary: After reaching full maturity, Nessie Cullen is at college and living away from her family. As she is adjusting to her new found independence and her changing feelings towards Jacob, her world is turned upside down, threatening everything she ever knew.
1. Chinese Food and Thunderstorms

"I need to tape my eyelids open, or something. There seriously aren't enough hours in the day," I complained as I threw myself on the couch next to my best friend, and roommate, Jacob Black.

"Well, that's what you get for going pre-med, Ness."

I rolled my eyes and ignored his completely non-helpful comment. I decided I was going to take a ten minute study break and did not want to spend it trying to convince Jake that despite the fact that pre-med was stressing me out beyond belief, that it was what I wanted to do.

Instead, I turned by attention to the TV and watched _Jeopardy!_ Jake always hated it whenever someone would know an answer before he did, so I tried to blurt out answers as quick as possible.

The contestant chose the category titled "Get Your Facts Straight."

"Burning Man is an arts festival," Alex began on-screen. "The Running Man is a dance, as seen in his video for 'U Can't Touch This.'"

"MC Hammer!" Jake shouted, trying to beat me to the punch.

"_Who is_ MC Hammer," I corrected. "Alex wouldn't have given you credit for that."

"Oh shut-up, smart ass."

"Not my fault you can't remember the only rule of _Jeopardy!"_

"Not my fault you're such a smart-ass."

"Oh wow, Jake. What a great comeback. You're so witty."

He threw a pillow at me which I dodged.

"Not to mention you have sucky aim," I teased.

"I don't have sucky aim. You just have freakishly fast bloodsucker reflexes."

I rolled my eyes and ignored his derogatory term for vampires. I knew he didn't mean it to be rude and that it was a habit from before he was good friends with my family.

"_Half _bloodsucker reflexes," I corrected.

He just smiled and shook his head, returning his attention to the television.

The contestant chose from the category "12 Letter Words."

"Meaning a beginning, it's also a school graduation ceremony."

"What is a commencement?!" I said quickly, before Jake could answer. I turned and stuck my tongue out at him. "Won that one."

"Wow, Ness," he said, shaking his head, "real mature."

I was about to make some wise-crack comment when Seth and Embry, our other two roommates came busting through the door, bags of Chinese food in hand. I suddenly realized how hungry I was and remembered I hadn't eaten since around 11 in the morning, and it was currently 7 at night.

"Yay! I'm starving!" I pounced off the couch and eagerly followed them into the kitchen.

"Ok, I see," Seth started and set the bag of food down on the countertop. "You're only excited to see us when we have food."

I picked up a container and opened it. Sesame chicken, my favorite. "Why else would I be excited to see you? I see you every day."

"You should be excited to see us because we're you're best friends!" Embry explained, while grabbing a plate and dishing some rice out onto it.

"No, Jake is my best friend. I only put up with you guys because he insists you guys live here, too," I joked.

Well, half-joked. Jake was my best friend but I still would love Embry or Seth even if Jake didn't insist they live with us. And Jake didn't really insist, my parents did.

When I was accepted into Stanford and decided that was where I really wanted to go, I had to beg my parents for days to let me go. Since they insisted on treating me like I was much younger than I was, they said I couldn't go by myself. I guess I could kind of see their point. I was born only eight years ago, but I've been physically and mentally about eighteen for over year. While I was very mature for even an eighteen year old, I did understand there were some experiences that only time could prepare you for.

Since for obvious reasons my parents couldn't follow me to California, Jake said he would move there with me. We ended up getting an apartment off campus but apparently my parents weren't too keen with Jake and me living by ourselves, so Jake invited Embry and Seth to come with us. Because living with three guys is so much better than living with just one, obviously. Sometimes my parents' logic felt really backwards, but as long as they let me live on my own, I was fine.

So currently I was attending Stanford, going pre-med even though it just might be the death of me. Jake, Embry, and Seth had opened a shop where they worked at a place that built custom motorcycles, like _American Chopper_ on the Discovery Channel. I told Jake that he needed to go to Discovery Channel and let them know that he fixed up bikes, too. When he told me that he couldn't compete with _American Chopper _since it had been on for years, I told him that he should try since he was way more attractive than those guys on the show, and we all know that sex sells.

I grabbed a plate out of the cabinet and begin to dish some chicken onto it.

"Hand me the Sesame Chicken, Nessie," Jake said, after serving several helping of Lo Mein onto his plate.

"No way, there'll be none left for me if I decide I want more. You eat like Michael Phelps."

"Please," Jake scoffed, "Michael Phelps couldn't hold a candle to my appetite. Especially now that he's like fifty."

"He's not fifty, Jake. He's like thirty."

"Yeah, yeah. Sesame chicken, Ness," he said, holding his hand out, waiting for me to pass him the container.

I dished out some more chicken and then handed the container over to Jake. "Whatever. But pass me the Lo Mein."

After I was sufficiently stuffed full of Chinese food, I decided it was time to go back to studying. By the time eleven o'clock rolled around, I didn't think I could read one more word. I gave up, figuring that if I didn't know the material for my test tomorrow by now, then I never would.

After getting into my pajamas, which were really just sweats and a tank top, I managed to muster up enough energy to go into the living room and tell the boys goodnight.

When I walked into the living room, some action movie was on and all three had their eyes glued to the TV.

"Goodnight, guys," I said, even though I knew they probably wouldn't even register I was in the room.

To my surprise, Jake turned his head toward me and smiled. "'Night, Nessie."

I smiled back before yawning and shuffled back down the hallway to my room. I was out the second my head hit the pillow.

* * *

I was woken up by the clap of thunder that echoed through the apartment.

Shit.

I hated thunder storms. Realistically, I knew they couldn't hurt me. I don't really even know why I was so scared of them. I think I had a really bad dream about them when I was younger, but I don't really remember. It was my only real phobia. I was fine with snake or spiders or heights, but the second I heard thunder, I was terrified.

I rolled over to check the time. It was shortly after 3 in the morning. I laid in bed for a few more moments, wondering if maybe the thunder storm was far away and the thunder was just going to be a onetime thing. After about a minute though, I heard the sound of rain outside and a flash of lightning briefly lit up my room. Thunder boomed in the distance.

I was quickly out of the bed and began making my way down the hallway to Jacob's room. I slowly opened his door, trying not to make any noise that would wake him up. Even though he said he didn't mind when I came into his bed during a storm, I always felt a little guilty about it and really tried not to wake him up.

It never worked.

"Nessie?" Jake croaked as I slid under the covers.

"Yeah, there's just a storm. Go back to sleep."

"You ok?" He rolled onto his side to face me and scooted a little closer.

"Yeah. Just a little scared. Sorry I woke you up."

I could see him roll his eyes, even in the darkness. "Don't be ridiculous. You know I'm always here for you."

I smiled at him. "Go back to sleep, Jacob."

"You sure you're ok? I can get up and watch some TV with you until the storm passes, or something."

"No, it's fine. Just being with you helps, you know that."

"Ok. Goodnight, Ness."

"G'Night."

I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, but I just couldn't. I wasn't afraid of the storm anymore. Even with Jake asleep, I still felt completely safe and calm in his presence. He always had that effect on me.

I opened my eyes and watched him sleep.

Even though Jacob and I were only friends and our relationship was platonic, I'd have to be blind to not realize that he was attractive. Sometimes when he would stretch, I'd find myself watching his body and his muscles flexing under his skin. Or when he smiled, I'd notice how his whole face would light up and it would make him even more handsome.

I watched his eyes move around behind his eyelids, signaling that he was dreaming. I wondered what he was dreaming about.

I wondered if he was dreaming about me.

Sometimes I would have thoughts like that about Jacob that I had no idea where they came from. Like sometimes I would catch a glimpse of him drinking from a water bottle, his lips puckered around it, and wonder what his lips would feel like against mine.

Most of the time I rationalized that I just wanted some kind of a love life, and since Jake and I were always together it's only natural I would have those thoughts about him. I was so happy with him as my best friend and him being around all the time, I didn't want to explore the other option (that I was truly attracted to Jake and wanted him as more than a friend), fearing that it would make things awkward.

I continued to watch him sleep for a little while longer before finally getting sleepy myself.

* * *

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was that it was warmer than usual. The second thing I noticed is why it was warmer.

Jacob's arm was around my waist and I was curled into his chest. Apparently we had rolled closer to each other while we slept because there was definitely more space between us when I fell asleep.

I didn't move at first because it was kind of nice. He would put his arm around my shoulders, and occasionally we'd hold hands (hands cupped, never fingers laced), but this just felt so romantic, like something you always saw couples do in movies. I knew we would never end up like this if we were awake, so I just kind of laid there for a minute and enjoyed having him so close. Plus he smelled absolutely amazing.

I heard him stir slightly and then he was gone, halfway across the bed.

"Oh, shit. Sorry Ness."

I almost couldn't stop from laughing. His hair was sticking every which way and he looked completely confused, like he had no idea what the hell was going on.

"About what?"

"Getting that close to you. You must have been burning up," he explained.

I shrugged. "You're not that much warmer than me, Jake. It's fine."

"Oh, well…" he trailed off for a second. "Sorry if it was awkward, or whatever."

I let out a little laugh and rolled my eyes. "You're my best friend. We're never awkward."

I sat up and looked at his clock to see what time it was. 8:47 a.m. I needed to get up and start getting ready.

"Thanks for letting me sleep in here, Jake," I told him as I was getting up.

"Anytime, Nessie. You know that."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, I know. But I still appreciate it."

He smiled back at me as I left his room.

After brushing my teeth and throwing my hair in a messy bun, I made my way to the kitchen. I really needed coffee. I was so glad that even though I was half-vampire, caffeine still seemed to have an effect on me.

Thankfully either Embry or Seth had already woken up and a pot was already made.

I started to stir in all the creamer and sugar when Embry came into the kitchen.

"So, there was a storm last night. Did you go in Jake's room?" He elbowed me and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"C'mon, Embry. You know me and Jake aren't like that." I took a sip of my coffee, enjoying the caffeine making its way down my throat.

"Uh huh. Whatever you say, Ness."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means."

I took another sip of my coffee. "Ok, now you're just being obnoxious. You're like the brother I never had."

"Aw, thanks, Ness." He reached over and ruffled my hair, something I absolutely hated when people did.

"I didn't mean that in a good way."

"You lo-ove me!" he sing-songed as he made his way out of the kitchen.

Jacob stumbled past him and into the kitchen, grabbing a cup and pouring himself coffee. He brought it to his lips and took a sip.

"Ew," I said as I watched him enjoy the black, bitter coffee.

"What?"

"You know what. How the hell do you drink black coffee?"

I walked over to the fridge and got out the milk.

"How the hell do you drink blood?" he asked, only sort of joking. Jacob never really cared that I drank blood, understading it was part of who I was, but he still teased me about it from time to time. He just didn't get how I could stomach the taste of it.

"I don't drink that much blood." This was especially true ever since I started at Stanford. I didn't exactly have a lot of opportunities to go hunting.

I grabbed several types of cereal out of the pantry and two bowls and spoons and set it all down on the table. Jake grabbed a bowl, spoon, and Frosted Flakes and poured the cereal in to the almost top of the bowl.

"Well, you drink enough." His smile at me reassured he was kidding.

"Yeah, well…" I couldn't think of what to say. He raised an eyebrow at me as he poured the milk into his cereal. I swear he was defying some laws of physics or something because it didn't spill over to top, even though it was dangerously close to overflowing before he added the milk.

"You still love me," I said, because I couldn't think of another reply.

Jacob just laughed and shoved a mouthful of cereal in his mouth. "Sure, sure," he replied, mid-chew.

"Classy, Jake. Real classy."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**

**Just as a reference, according to the Twilight Lexicon timeline, BD takes places in 2006. In this story it is early 2015.**

**Also, the title of this story comes from the song "Breathe Me" by Sia.**


	2. Random Inappropriate Thoughts

I walked in the door that evening and angrily took off my shoes right as I got in the door. On my way from calculus to history late in the morning, my right heel had broken and since I didn't want to walk around with shoes that were different heights all day, I broke the left one.

It upset me a little to do so since I had picked up on a love from fashion from my aunt, Alice, and they were her birthday gift to me last year. If there was one thing I loved, it was my heels. Thanks to being half-vampire, I could wear the most ridiculous pair of high heels and they wouldn't hurt my feet. Alice figured they would probably hurt my feet if I was to wear them for a really long time, but I had never had any problems so far.

Jake was sitting on the couch and gave me a weird look. He would have asked what happened but he was on the phone.

"Who is it?" I mouthed.

"Quil," he mouthed back.

I nodded and made my way back to my room, not wanting to interrupt.

Jake normally talked to at least one member of the old pack once a week, if not more.

After the conflict with the Volturi when I was very little, the two different packs decided it would be better for all if there was only one pack, like there was before I was born. Jacob had told me about how he was anxious about having him and Sam in the same pack, both Alphas, but about five months after they reunited, Emily announced she was pregnant and Sam decided that he would step down. He started phasing less and less and last I heard he hadn't phased in over four years.

Jared and Paul were the next to stop phasing, wanting to settle down and start a family with Kim and Rachel.

When my family moved to the suburbs of Vancouver a year ago, shortly before I left for Stanford, there really wasn't a need for any of them to phase anymore, since there were other vampires in the immediate area. The only two that still phased regularly were Quil and Jacob.

I don't really know why Quil kept phasing. I joked with him that he just wanted to stay young forever, since he acted like a thirteen year old sometimes.

When I asked Jake why he kept phasing, he said it was because we were such good friends. Since I wasn't going to get any older, it would be kind of weird when Jake was forty-something and we were still hanging out. He said he would keep phasing until I got sick of him. I remember telling him I could never get sick of him.

I changed out of my outfit I wore that day and into a pair of sweatpants (ok, Jake's sweatpants that I "borrowed") and a tank top. Even though I loved fashion, a girl has to have some down time.

I turned on my TV and watched it for about fifteen minutes before decided to go see if Jake was off the phone yet.

I came out of my room and walked down the hallway to find Jake in the kitchen, in front of the fridge and taking a sip straight from the orange juice carton.

"Jacob Black, stop," I half scolded. I knew no matter how many times I told him not to do that, he wouldn't listen to me.

He just smirked at me and put the carton back in the fridge.

"Where are Seth and Embry?" I asked.

"Getting pizza."

Our favorite pizza place in the area also happened to be the one in the area that didn't deliver. It was worth it though.

I nodded. "How's Quil?"

"He's doing good. He said to- Hey! Wait a minute, are those my sweatpants?"

I shrugged and tried to look as innocent as possible. "I don't think so."

"Shut up, Ness, yes they are. They're definitely not yours, seeing as how they're about to fall off. And I've been looking for those for about a month now!"

"Oh, cry about it," I teased.

"I want them back."

"Wow, Jake, calm down. I wasn't going to keep them forever."

"I want them back," he repeated.

"Ok, ok, I heard you." Since I had shorts on underneath, I grabbed the waist of the sweatpants and yanked them down.

Jake, thinking I wasn't wearing anything underneath them, quickly turned away. As if I would be so brave to just strip in front him in the middle of the kitchen.

Maybe one day.

_Whoa, what?_

See what I mean about completely random and inappropriate thoughts about him?

"Calm down Jake, I have on shorts underneath."

Living with Embry, the eternal twelve year old at heart, I was afraid of being pantsed while wearing sweatpants so I always wore a pair of athletic shorts underneath them. Not to mention that, while totally comfortable, Jake's sweatpants were way too big on me even with the drawstring as tight as it would go, so there was the danger of them just falling down at random moments.

"Um, uh, it's cool. You don't have to give them back right now." Jake had looked at me again but he had a worried look on his face, like I was just going to rip off my shorts, too.

"Well, you wouldn't know that by the way you demanded for them back like a toddler." I folded up the pants and set them down on the table.

"I was kidding. You can wear my clothes. Just let me know so I don't drive myself crazy for a month looking for them."

At that moment, Embry and Seth came back with boxes of pizzas in their hands.

"Food!" Jake shouted.

I just laughed and grabbed plates for all three of us. As soon as they set the boxes down on the table, I grabbed two slices for myself, knowing that if I wasn't fast enough, Michael Phelps aka Jake would eat everything.

"I think I'm going to take this in my room and call my family," I explained before heading down the hallway.

"Say hey for me," Jake called.

"Will do."

After taking a couple bites of pizza, I grabbed myself phone off my bedside table and dialed the number of the Cullen house.

"Renesmee," my mother answered. She was the only one who called me by my full name on a regular basis.

"Hi, mom," I replied.

"Hold on, let me put you on speakerphone. Your dad wants to talk to you, too."

I waited for a second and heard a click, signaling I was on speakerphone.

"Hi, dad."

"Hey, Ness," he said. "How have you been? How are classes?"

"I've been good," I answered and took a small bite of pizza. "And classes are going good. I'm keeping my grades up and everything."

"That's good to hear," he replied.

I took another, bigger bite of pizza. This was seriously the best pizza I've ever had in my entire life.

"Renesmee, honey, what are you eating?" my mom asked.

Oh yeah, super vampire hearing. About ten time more sensitive than even mine or Jacob's. Chewing must sound so gross to them.

"Pizza."

"That's not healthy at all, Ness," my dad scolded. "Isn't Jake taking care of you at all?"

I rolled my eyes. My father, like most fathers I'm sure, was overprotective. My mom told me she had to talk to him for hours to convince him to let me go to Stanford. He had made Jake promise to look after me and take care of me, no matter what.

"Dad, Jake doesn't need to take care of me. I'm doing just fine."

"I'm just trying to look out for you."

I smiled because I knew at the source of my father's over protectiveness was a deep love.

He never in a thousand years imagined he would have been capable of having a child after he had been turned. However, here I was. I was born just weeks after my parents honeymoon. I couldn't even imagine how that must feel. Thinking you could never have children and then having a baby daughter of your own.

Of course, I could imagine pretty well what it felt like to not be able to have kids. After I reached full maturity, I underwent several tests and examinations and Carlisle came to the conclusion I most likely wouldn't be able to have kids.

I remember talking to Leah about it a lot after I found out. She said that it hadn't really bothered her at first but the more and more she thought about it, the more it upset her.

I was the same way. At first, the news wasn't really any big deal to me. But then I got to thinking about it, and although I knew I wouldn't be ready for kids anytime soon, a part of me still wished that it was a possibility.

By the time I left for college, Leah had been married a year and was looking into adopting a kid. I wished that was an option too, but I couldn't imagine raising a child and then out living it by thousands of years.

"I know, Dad," I answered. "I know."

I talked to my parents for about thirty more minutes before Jake came in my room telling me they were going to watch the original _Night of the Living Dead_. I loved zombie movies and hadn't seen that one in awhile, so I told my parents I would call them tomorrow.

"Tell everyone else I say hey and that I love them," I told my parents.

"We will," my mom said.

"Bye. I love you guys."

"We love you, too, Renesmee," my dad replied.

I hung up the phone and put my hair into a ponytail. As a result of last night's storm and the rain that had continued through the morning, it was humid outside today and my hair had turned from soft, delicate curls to what could only be described as a mess.

I walked out into the living room and took my usual spot on the couch beside Jake just as the movie started. For some reason, the air conditioning was up kind of high and since I had never put back on Jake's sweatpants after taking them off, I was kind of cold. I looked around for any blankets or hoodies that might be lying around but didn't see any.

Jake's arm was resting along the back of the couch so I took advantage of that and curled into his side.

"I'm cold," I explained, even though I normally curled up to him while we watched a movie, cold or not.

He moved his arm from the back of the couch to across my shoulders, his hand resting on my upper arm. I instinctively moved myself closer to him.

It would be so easy to just reach up and kiss him right now. I wish we were alone.

_Random inappropriate thought_.

I was really getting tired of those. It seemed like they were becoming more and more frequent. I used to only have them about once a week, now it seemed like they were happening several times a day. It was probably just since we were living together now.

I was glad my father wasn't here to witness my more and more frequent inappropriate thoughts toward Jake. On the rare occasion he had caught me thinking about how good he looked in a tight shirt, or how he looked in no shirt at all, or something equally non-best friend-like, he would get this look on his face. He would almost glare back and forth between Jake and me for a few minutes until I had chanted 'We're only friends, I only see him as a friend,' about ninety times in my head for him to hear.

Speaking of things I was glad for and freaky vampire gifts, I was really glad I could only transmit images through my palm and not just any bare skin. Otherwise Jake would have been a front row witness to several of my more embarrassing thoughts about him.

I decided to stop thinking about Jake and tried to turn my attention to the movie, which wasn't an easy thing to do. He was so warm it was a constant reminder of how close we were.

"Your hair smells really good, by the way," he leaned down and whispered a few minutes into the movie.

Not helping, Jake. Really not helping.

"Thanks," I said instead. "You smell good, too."

Wow, Ness. Way to go. Way to sound like a freak.

"Would you two lovebirds quit whispering and just watch the zombie movie of all zombie movies," Embry said, throwing several M&M's out of a bag he was eating at Jake.

Seth laughed, I blushed (thankfully it was dark and no one could see. Thanks mom for passing that awesome trait down to me), and Jake just glared at Embry.

"Shut up."

"Hey, I'm not over here whispering in Seth's ear." Embry laughed and ate another handful of M&M's.

"I'd punch you in the face," Seth replied, scooting farther away from Embry than he already was.

"Seriously, Embry," I said, sitting up from Jake so he could see me, "shut the hell up." I was already trying not to think about Jake like that and Embry referring to us as lovebirds, not to mention his teasing in the kitchen this morning, was just making things worse.

He just shook his head and laughed again, but thankfully didn't say anything else.

I leaned back against Jake and his arm tightened around me just a little bit, causing me to sit a little closer to him.

* * *

**A/N: ****Now, I know one of the theories of imprinting in Twilight was so that the wolves could find the girl with the best chance of carrying down the wolf gene, and with Nessie being infertile that that wouldn't make sense, but I have my own theory about imprinting I'll be using for this story.**

**Once again, thanks for reading!**


	3. Imprint?

I woke up the next morning so happy it was Saturday. Saturday meant I didn't have classes. Saturday meant I got to sleep in.

I rolled over and looked at my clock to see what time it was. 11:57 a.m.

That is why I loved Saturdays.

I would have loved to go back to sleep for even longer but my stomach was growling, so I dragged myself out of bed and into the kitchen.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Where is all the coffee?"

I knew someone had made coffee, since I had briefly woken up around 10:45 and smelled it brewing before rolling over and going back to sleep. Now the coffee pot was empty.

Seth came around the corner and into the kitchen, giving me a 'Are you serious?' look.

"It's noon, what do you mean 'where is the coffee'?" he answered.

"I mean, where is the coffee? I don't care that it's noon."

He just laughed and shook his head. "You know, for someone who grew up in a house with family who doesn't sleep, you sleep a hell of a lot."

I yawned and decided to grab a Monster energy drink from the fridge. I couldn't wait for the coffee to brew, I needed caffeine that much.

"I also practically grew up with Jake, who used to sleep for fourteen hours at a time."

"Yeah, after not sleeping for two nights because he was running patrol. Speaking of Jake, he's going to kill you for drinking his Monster."

I took a long swig of it. "No he won't, he loves me."

Seth just got this weird look on his face. "Whatever you say, Ness."

I walked back to my room and got out my laptop to check my e-mails. There was one from my Grandpa Charlie wondering how I was doing at college that I answered. I also told him to say hi to Sue for me, since they had gotten pretty close over the past few years. Everyone figured they would get engaged soon.

Afterwards, I showered then dried my hair. Jake was working today until 4 but we were going to go to a movie tonight. There was a new zombie movie out that actually looked good and not completely ridiculous.

I passed the rest of the afternoon studying for a biology test I had coming up the following week and catching up with a couple episodes of _Lost_ that I had on DVD. While I was too young to enjoy the show while it was still on the air, I had heard Embry talking about it once and decided it sounded interesting so I rented the first season at Blockbuster. I was hooked from episode one and was currently on season three.

I heard Jake come in the apartment around 4:15 but I knew he would want to shower and change before we went out so I continued to watch _Lost_.

Around 5:30, Jake knocked on my door, telling me he was ready to go.

I grabbed my purse and slipped on my shoes, not heels this time, and opened up the door. As usual lately, I couldn't stop myself from noticing how attractive he looked. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt with a jacket over it and jeans, which would have looked normal on someone else (or maybe even Jake a few months ago), but now I almost couldn't stop myself from blatantly checking him out.

Instead I smiled at him and nodded. "Let's go."

I followed him outside and into his car.

"What time does the movie start?" he asked, backing out of the parking space.

"Six ten," I answered. I had looked up the movie times earlier in the day.

He nodded as he pulled out of the apartment complex and turned in the direction of the theater.

"How was work?" I asked.

"Good. Worked on bike for a ridiculously rich Stanford professor going through a mid-life crisis."

I laughed and shook my head. It seemed like half of the bikes he told me about were for someone going through a mid-life crisis.

He asked me what I did today and I told him about studying and catching up on _Lost._

"I can tell you how it ends," he offered with a slight smirk. He knew I hated when people ruined the endings of movies or TV shows.

"I'll kill you," I threatened.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Actually no, I wouldn't kill you. I'd just drink all of your Monsters."

"Yeah, well it seems you've got a head start, I noticed one was missing."

"Hey!" I half-shouted, not wanting to be too loud in the car. "How do you know it wasn't Seth or Embry?"

"Because they don't drink them. They know I'd beat the crap out of them."

"Well, why wouldn't you beat the crap out of me?" I asked.

"Because you would get pissed at me and not talk to me. And you're my best friend and it would suck if you didn't talk to me. Plus, I would never want to hurt you, no matter you did."

"Why not?"

He sighed and looked at my briefly before turning his attention back to the road. "Because you're my best friend. You know that."

"Yeah, but Embry and Seth are your best friends, too. And you'd just said you'd beat the crap out of them."

"No, _you're_ my best friend, Ness. Embry and Seth are really good friends, don't get me wrong, but you're the best."

"Aw, Jake, that's so sweet," I joked.

He let out a little laugh. "Shut up."

After playing around with radio for a few minutes, we had arrived at the movie theater. Since it was a Saturday, it was pretty crowded and we looked for a parking spot for a few minutes.

Once we had found a spot, we made our way to the ticket booth to buy our tickets.

"I got yours," Jake told me right before he stepped up to the window, which gave me no time to protest. I hated when he did stuff like that. I had access to the Cullen money yet he insisted on paying for things when we went out.

After he had gotten the tickets, we made our way to the concession line. I wasn't that hungry because I ate a late lunch since I woke up so late, but I was thirsty and Jake said he wanted some popcorn.

"You didn't have to pay for me, you know," I told him.

Jake just shrugged and otherwise ignored my comment. He always did when it came to this. I would make sure he had an extra twenty in his wallet by the morning.

I noticed a group of teenage guys, talking quite loudly in the line next to us. I looked over at them and one made eye contact and winked at me. I rolled my eyes and was going to just turn the other way to talk to Jake but before I could, he was on my other side, blocking the boys' view of me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh please, Nessie, they were practically undressing you with their eyes."

"And you figured you had to step in and do something? Are guys not allowed to look at me?"

I don't know why I asked, since it's not like I cared. Recently, the only guy I wanted looking at me was Jake. I wanted _him_ to undress me with his eyes, as he put it.

_And the random, inappropriate thoughts return._

"If they're interested in you, they should come over and talk to you, not eye you like a piece of meat," he explained.

Their line moved forward but ours didn't, allowing me another glance at them. I guessed they were around fifteen.

"They look a little young for me," I half-joked. Since I was physically and mentally eighteen they _were_ a little young for me. However, since I was really only eight, it made my statement slightly humorous.

Jake laughed before our line moved and he stepped up to the counter, ordering our concessions.

After we had gotten Jake's popcorn and our drinks, we made our way to the theater. We chose seats in the middle just as the previews started and the lights dimmed.

As we watched the movie, I found myself glancing at the couple that was sitting in front of us. The boy had his arm around the girl and she would lean in closer to him at the scarier parts. While I would curl up to Jake during movies at home, we never really touched much in public. I found myself wishing we did.

* * *

When we returned home from the movie, Jake said he was really tired since he went into work around 7:30 that morning and was going to bed. I told him goodnight and then went and made myself some dinner since I didn't get any popcorn at the movies.

I was kind of limited in what I could cook so I grabbed a pack of ramen and heated up some water on the stove. Growing up, Esme or my mom had always insisted on cooking for me. About a month before I went off to college, they had tried to give me a crash course in cooking but most of it hadn't stuck with me.

After the noodles had cooked for a few minutes, I poured them in a bowl and mixed the seasoning in. Embry then walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Coke out of the fridge.

"How was the movie?" he asked.

"It was pretty good. It was no _Night of the Living Dead,_ but still good."

"Hard to beat the original."

I nodded and grabbed my bowl and a fork and sat down at the table.

"How's your family?" he asked. "Didn't you call them last night?"

I nodded and took a bite of my ramen. "They're good. I'll probably go up and see them during spring break."

"Yeah you guys were always really close. You probably miss them a lot, huh?"

I shrugged. "Of course I miss them, but being in a house of all vampires, it was hard to have any privacy about anything. Especially around my dad. It's definitely nice not having someone know all my thoughts."

He let out a little laugh. "Yeah I can see how that would be annoying. That was the only thing I hated about being a wolf. Zero privacy."

I nodded. "Do you miss everyone back in La Push?" I asked. He hadn't been back to La Push since we moved here last August. "Like your family and the rest of the pack."

"Of course," he answered. "But it's also pretty nice to be out on my own."

"You could have moved out on your own in La Push. Why did you decide to move here with me and Jake?"

He shrugged. "Jake asked me if I wanted to and I realized that I really just wanted to get out of there and try something completely different."

"Makes sense," I replied. "What about Seth?"

"What about Seth?"

I took another bite of my ramen before responding. "I mean, why did he move here with us?"

He shrugged again. "Leah was married. Sue is most likely going to marry Charlie. There wasn't really a pack anymore. I guess he just wanted his own life, too. Plus, I think the kid was hoping he'd imprint here since he'd pretty much seen all the girls in La Push and Forks."

"Imprint?" I asked.

Embry's eyes got really wide, like he realized he said something he shouldn't have. "Um, nothing."

"No, Embry, what's that mean?"

"Nothing, it's not important."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's why you look so nervous."

"Seriously, Ness," he said as he stood up from the table. "It's nothing."

He walked out of the kitchen and took his drink with him. I finished my ramen before heading off to my room.

I tried to forget what Embry had said, but I just got the feeling he wasn't telling me something. I decided to Google "imprint", hoping it would answer my question. All that came up was stuff about how animals realized who their mothers were or about genetic imprinting.

Obviously not what Embry was talking about.

I don't know why I was so curious about it. It was just nagging me, not letting me forget. It was like my mind just wouldn't let it go.

I honestly even considered calling my parents to see if they knew what it was, but then decided I was being ridiculous. I could ask Embry more about it tomorrow.

After watching two more episodes of _Lost, _I was getting sleepy. I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water before heading to bed. I heard someone watching TV in the living room and decided to go tell whoever it was goodnight.

I rounded the corner to see Jake sitting on the couch.

"I thought you went to bed," I said as I sat down next to him.

"Yeah I did but I couldn't sleep," he replied.

I nodded and took a sip of my water. I figured Jake might know what imprint meant and decided to ask him. Once again, I didn't know why it was bothering me so much, but I just couldn't let it go.

"Jake?" I asked.

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"What does imprint mean?"

* * *

**A/N: Ok, quick question. Would guys rather me alternate between Nessie's POV and Jake's POV in this story, or have a seperate story that is all Jake's POV (maybe not his POV chapter by chapter, but I'd retell the important ones)? Or do you not even want his POV at all? You can mention your preference in a review or just send me a PM. **

**Once again, thanks for reading! :)**


	4. Secrets

He hesitated for a split second, something I probably wouldn't have even noticed if I didn't know him so well, before turning to look and me and responding. "Where did you hear that?"

His eyes had widened and his breathing had picked up slightly, again something I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't known him almost better than I knew myself. He sounded angry although I could tell he was trying to hide it.

"Embry, although I don't see why it matters. What is it?"

He hesitated once again, and then turned his attention back to the TV. "It's not important."

Now I was starting to get angry. Why wouldn't they tell me? Jake and I never kept things from each other.

Well, except for my recently increasing inappropriate thoughts about him. But that was different.

"Jake, what is it?"

"Seriously, Ness," he said, turning his gaze towards me once again, "it's just a stupid wolf thing. Don't worry about."

Part of me thought he was lying. He seemed relatively calm now but when I first asked him about it, his reaction led me to believe it was more than he was letting on. However, the other part of me believed him. Jacob had never lied to me before so I had no reason to believe he was lying to me now.

I decided to drop it and bring it up again later or maybe talk to my parents and see if they knew. Or Seth. Maybe Seth would tell me.

"Ok, Jake," I said.

"Ok?" he asked, looking at me like I was crazy. "Just ok? Since when do you ever drop something that quick? You're pretty much the most stubborn person I know."

I shrugged. "You're my best friend. I trust you. If you say it's nothing, then it's nothing."

I half believed what I was saying. I did trust him but I still had this sneaking suspicion he wasn't telling me something. I figured if he was lying, what I had just said would make him feel guilty and maybe he would tell me.

When he didn't respond, I got up, my glass of water in hand. "Goodnight, Jake."

"G'night, Ness," he answered.

* * *

I woke up the next morning, almost afternoon, around 11:50. I stayed in bed for a few moments enjoying the fact that I had just slept so late since tomorrow was Monday and I'd be back to getting up early again.

When I finally got out of bed, I decided to go ahead and take a shower. After I had done that, dried my hair, and gotten dressed, I decided to check my e-mail to see if maybe Charlie had written me back after I had e-mailed him yesterday.

I logged on to see that he had. He talked about how he, Sue, Leah, and her husband Jason had went out to dinner last night. He told me that Leah and Jason had gotten approved by the adoption agency and I made a mental note to call them and congratulate them.

After writing a brief e-mail back to Charlie, my stomach growled and I went into the kitchen and grabbed an apple.

I heard the sound of the TV in the living room and I rounded the corner to see Jake on the couch, just like he was last night. I sat down next to him and took a large bite out of my apple.

He turned to look at me and I held my hand with the apple in it out to him. "Wanna bite?" I asked.

I usually asked him if he wanted a bite of the stuff I was eating and most of the time he would say no thanks, for me to eat it.

Which is why it surprised me when he took a bite. Only he didn't take the apple out of my hand. He leaned forward and just bit it, his gorgeous lips and perfect teeth not even inches from my hand.

When he leaned back, there was juice running down the left side of his mouth onto his chin and I swear I have never wanted anything more in my life than to lean in and lick it off.

I knew if I didn't look away from him right then that I would probably do just that so I quickly turned my attention to the TV. It was on a commercial.

"What are you watching?" I asked, trying to get myself to calm down.

"Harry Potter marathon," he answered with a slight smile.

"Nerd."

"Oh, like you're not going to sit here and watch it with me."

I laughed. "Never said I wasn't."

We continued to watch the movies for a few minutes and I then realized how quiet the apartment was.

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

"Seth is at the gym, then going to the store since it's his week to get groceries," he began. "And Embry is out to lunch with some girl he met. I told him not to go to lunch with her, to call her and change it to dinner, because a lunch date is the quickest way to the friend zone."

I let out a little laugh and rolled my eyes. "Oh wow, Jake, quoting Ryan Reynolds from _Just Friends,_ how witty. That movie is like ten years old."

"I'm not trying to be witty, it's true."

It then hit me that we were all alone in the apartment. Sure, we had been alone here many times before, but this felt different somehow. Probably because I had come so close to jumping his bones earlier.

"My hands are sticky," I announced as I got up and went to the kitchen to wash the apple juice from my hands. After I had gotten all of the sticky juice off, I gripped the sink and took several calming breathes.

Get a hold of yourself, Ness. This is Jacob Black, your best friend since birth. You do not want to lick apple juice from his chin.

After I had chanted that in my head several times, I turned off the water and returned to the living room.

* * *

**Jacob's POV**

When she came back from the kitchen, I had my arm across the back of the couch and she sat next to me and curled into my side, like she always did. I moved my arm to drape across her shoulders and brought her even closer to me.

I knew she was probably still a little angry at my dismissal of her question last night, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell her about imprinting. I made the decision shortly after she was born that when the time came, if she wanted to be with me, that it would be because she truly loved me and not because she felt like she had to be with me because of some weird werewolf magic.

We had always been closer to each other than we were to everyone else, but thankfully she had never questioned why. She had never questioned why we couldn't stand to be away from each other for more than a day at the most.

When Nessie was four, or around thirteen depending on how you looked at it, the Cullens decided to take a trip to visit their friends in Denali. The first night they were gone, I got a phone call in the middle of the night from Bella, worried because Nessie had a nightmare and woke up on the verge of a panic attack and kept asking for me. I got on the phone and managed to calm her down and the next day, she, Bella, and Edward got on the first plane home. I never told anyone but Nessie that I had also had nightmares and woke up and couldn't breathe. It was like our bodies knew when we weren't close. That was the first and last time we had ever been more thirty minutes away from each other. If I was in La Push and she was in Forks we were fine, but any farther was pushing it.

It wasn't until the last six months that my feelings for her had started to change. I remember just looking over at her one day and being completely blown away by how beautiful she was. I found myself getting increasingly jealous whenever she would touch Embry or Seth, even though I knew she didn't have feelings like that for them. Whenever we hugged, I would hold on longer than necessary.

There had been so many times I had been tempted to tell her about imprinting, to tell her that she belonged with me, but I didn't want her to feel forced into loving me.

We continued to watch the movie for the next thirty minutes until Seth came in the door.

"There are still some groceries in my car, would guys mind grabbing them?" he asked, his arms full of sacks of food, as he headed toward the kitchen.

I inwardly groaned as I got up, missing the warmth of Nessie's skin against my side already. While I was slightly warmer than her, she was the only one, other than the other wolves, who even felt remotely warm next to me. I made my way to Seth's car, following behind Nessie, and grabbed several bags of groceries.

After bringing the groceries up to the apartment and setting them down in the kitchen, I returned to the living room, only to find Seth sprawled out on the couch, remote in hand.

"What are you doing?" Nessie asked. When we had established the rules of the apartment, so to speak, we decided whoever got the groceries for the week also had to put them up.

"I already put up all the stuff that needed to be refrigerated, I'm just watching a little TV."

If there was one thing Seth was good at, it was procrastination.

"Yeah, well, me and Jake were watching something so move," she told him.

He shook his head and continued to channel surf. "You guys both have TV's in your own room, I don't."

"C'mon, Nessie," I said, moving to touch her arm, "we can watch TV in my room. Let's leave Seth alone so he can focus on his procrastination."

Seth rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored us as we turned to go down the hallway and into my room. She threw herself on my bed and I grabbed the remote and did the same. I quickly changed the channel to the Harry Potter marathon and scooted closer to her, enjoying the feeling of being so close.

I was hit with the realization of how easy it would be for me to just roll over and have her beneath me, every inch of her body pressed into mine. I would lean in and kiss her and run my hands down her side and she would thread her fingers through my hair. When we needed air, I could drag my lips down her perfect neck-

I made myself stop. Those kinds of fantasies were not helping my self-restraint. I forced myself to focus on the movie and not on how amazing she felt next to me or how good her hair smelled.

* * *

**Nessie's POV**

I must have fallen asleep sometime because the next thing I knew, the room was dark except for the sliver of light that was coming in through the bottom of the door.

The first thing I noticed was that Jake wasn't in the room anymore. The second thing I noticed was how stiff my neck was. I quickly sat up, twisting my neck from side to side and stretching my arms above my head.

I was planning on just laying there and watching the movie that was still on but then I realized how thirsty I was. After getting up and stepping out into the hallway, I heard voices coming from the living room.

"You seriously need to tell her," I heard Embry say.

"Why?" Jake asked. "Please, tell me one good reason why that is a good idea."

"She has a right to know!" Embry exclaimed.

I don't know why, since I could hear just fine from where I was, but I started inching down the hallway, closer to the living room.

"Seriously, man," Seth started, "just tell her. She really does have the right to know."

"I don't want her to hate me," Jake said. He sounded upset.

"Nessie could never hate you," Embry told him.

My breath caught. They were talking about me?

I heard Jake sigh, and then Embry spoke again. "Look, I really am sorry I said anything about it, I wasn't thinking. But maybe it's for the best, you know? Maybe she'll be happy."

I still found myself dangerously inching down the hallway, for some reason anxious to see Jake's face. I hated when he was upset and I just wanted to comfort him, even if there was apparently something he wasn't telling me.

Before I even had time to react, I heard Jake get up and he headed towards the hall. I tried to make it back to his room, but I wasn't quick enough. I was too distracted to really utilize my half-vampire speed.

"Nessie?" I heard him say behind me.


	5. It All Makes Sense

I slowly turned to face him. He had an expression on his face I couldn't quite read, which was weird considering how well I knew him.

"How much did you hear?" he asked cautiously, almost like he didn't want to know the answer.

I was quiet for a moment as I chose how to respond. The fact that he was obviously hiding something from me registered and I was hurt and angry.

"Enough to know that there's something you're not telling me," I practically spat at him.

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, and then closed it. He was quiet for what seemed like forever as his eyes bore into mine. I was trying to put as much anger as I could into my stare. I hated the idea of him not telling me something, of him confiding in Seth and Embry before me. I knew it was slightly childish, but I couldn't help it.

"C'mon," he finally said, grabbing my elbow and leading me to his room.

When we entered his room he turned on the light then sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to him, an invitation for me to sit down. Instead I shut the door and continued to glare at him.

"Nessie," he began. I thought he was going to continue but he didn't. Instead he grabbed the remote off the bed and turned off the TV. Neither of us said anything, and first the first time in my life, Jake and I shared an awkward silence. We had always been able to be around each other without saying anything, but now it was just weird and tense.

After about a minute of neither one of us saying anything, I sighed deeply. His head snapped up from looking at his shoes and once again his eyes found mine. "Are you going to say anything?" I asked.

"I'm trying to figure out where to start," he explained. His eyes traveled back down to his shoes.

He looked so upset and my normal instinct to go to him and comfort him was battling with the anger I felt. I walked over to the bed and sat next to him, but didn't touch him. I was still too hurt to comfort him too much.

"The beginning in normally a good place," I suggested.

He let out a humorless laugh. "The beginning goes back awhile."

"Well, just start talking anyway."

He took in a deep breath then released it. "You're right about there being something I haven't told you."

"Obviously," I replied.

"I just- I have no idea how to even being to explain everything."

"Jacob Black." His eyes snapped up to mine once again. "It's me. Renesmee. Nessie. Your best friend. There is nothing you can't tell me. Just spit it out."

He let out a little chuckle. "I'm trying."

I sat patiently and waited for him to gather his thoughts and finally tell me what he was keeping from me.

"You remember what you asked me about last night? Imprinting?" he asked.

I nodded. As if I could forget.

"Well, I lied when I said it was nothing. It's definitely not nothing."

"Well, then what is it?"

"It's-" he began. He then stopped and took another deep breath. He was going to hyperventilate if he kept doing that. "It is a wolf thing, like I said. It doesn't happen to all of us. It's supposed to be more the exception than the rule. It's how we know who we're supposed to be with, who our soul mate is, I guess. When we see her, it's like nothing else matters. Whoever we imprint on becomes our whole world."

"Like love at first sight?" Even I wasn't naïve enough to believe in love at first sight and here he was telling me it existed?

"Kind of. It's more powerful. The best way I can describe it is that gravity doesn't hold you to the Earth anymore, she does."

I nodded, trying to process what he was telling me. I still didn't see what this had to do with me. Unless…

Unless he had recently imprinted. Then I wouldn't be his best friend anymore. He would leave me.

"Who all has imprinted?" I asked. I was mentally preparing myself for the worst.

"Sam and Emily," he told me. That made sense. "Jared and Kim. Paul and Rachel. Quil and Claire."

"Wait," I interrupted, "Quil and Claire?!"

"It's not like that. It's not romantic at all for Quil. When she was younger he was pretty much, for lack of a better word, her nanny. Now that she's getting older, he's her best friend. And when the time comes, he'll be her boyfriend or whatever she wants him to be."

I was quiet for a moment before speaking. "That's why Quil still phases, so he won't age. To wait for her."

Jake nodded.

I took a second to gather my thoughts, thinking about it all before asking, "Anyone else?"

"Um, yeah." He sounded really nervous. After what seemed like minutes he finally responded. "Me."

It was like time stopped moving. My suspicions were right. He had imprinted.

Hearing it suddenly made me even angrier. He was _my _best friend. _Mine_, damn it. Who the hell was this girl that thought just because of some freaky werewolf magic that she had some sort of claim over _my best friend_?

Just like that, all the hopes I ever had of ever being more with Jake, of ever having him kiss me or love me as more than a friend, were squashed. I obviously couldn't compete with this.

"And you," I heard him say, so low I almost missed it.

I took me a minute to process what that meant.

"What?" My voice was high pitched and shaky.

"I imprinted on you," he explained, his voice still barely above a whisper.

Jake imprinted on _me?_

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The way he was always around me and my family even though he was a werewolf and they were vampires. The way we couldn't be apart for very long.

"Wow," was all I could say. I was speechless for about a minute before asking, "Why did you never tell me?"

"I wanted you to make your own decision. If you did decide you wanted to be with me, I didn't want it to be because you felt like you had to or something."

I nodded. While I wished he would have told me, I could understand his reasoning and all the anger and hurt I was feeling towards him was gone.

"It explains a lot," I began. "Like how we can't stand to be far away from each other. I remember that time I went to Denali and practically had a panic attack until I heard your voice."

"Yeah," was all he said.

I was quiet for another moment or two before I thought of something. "Wait. Did you imprint on me because of the feelings you used to have for my mom?"

A couple years ago I had asked him why he never dated, which led to a discussion about his past. He ended up telling me all about the way he used to feel toward my mom, about how he tried to steal her away from my dad. He said he wasn't proud about the way he had acted and manipulated her, that he would take it back if he could.

"No, Nessie," he said immediately, without hesitation. "I was always meant for _you._ I think even back then it was you that drew me to her. When she was pregnant with you, it was like I couldn't stay away."

I nodded and shifted my attention to my lap, not meeting his gaze. "So, what does this mean for us? I mean, what's next?"

"Whatever you want. I don't want you to feel like you're stuck with me or anything. I understand if you don't want me-"

I cut him off right there. "Jake, I always want you," I assured him.

"Ok, well still, nothing has to change. We'll just be friends, like we've always been."

I didn't know if he was saying this because he wanted it or if it was because he thought I wanted it. I definitely wanted things to change, but I wondered if part of the reason he kept the whole thing about imprinting a secret was because he didn't want more.

"Whatever you want, Jake," I told him.

His hand came under my chin and lifted my face to meet his gaze. "Nessie, listen. I want what you want."

I felt my breathing accelerate and I could hear my blood whooshing in my ears. I wanted to kiss him so bad.

At the same time, it was all a lot to process. I knew I loved Jacob, there was no doubt in my mind about it. He was so wonderful, so amazing that I knew I would have fallen for him, even without the imprinting.

"I want you, Jacob," I finally responded. "It's just…"

"A lot to think about," he finished for me. "I know." He paused before speaking again. "Why don't you sleep on it? We can talk about it more tomorrow."

I nodded, even though I was slightly disappointed. While I did want time to think about it all, I wanted to kiss him more. It probably made sense to take time to think about everything though, not to rush things too much.

"Ok," I said, my voice coming out slightly shaky. I stood to go to my room, then leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Good night, Jacob." I decided that while I wasn't going to rush things, I could move them forward a little. I gave him a kiss on his cheek but much closer to his mouth than I ever had before. I lingered a second longer than necessary then stood up straight.

"Good night, Nessie," was his breathless reply as I left the room.

I went into my room, changed into my pajamas, and laid down. I tried to sleep but my mind was going in every direction.

I knew without a doubt I wanted to be with Jacob. However, I was afraid if I acted on it now, he would fear that I only wanted to be without because I felt like I had to. I would have to think of a way to make sure he knew I wanted him for him, and not just because of the imprinting.

After about thirty minutes of lying there and not being able to sleep, I grabbed my cell phone off the night stand and dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Hello?" my dad's voice rang from the other end.

"Dad, get mom on the phone, too." He didn't respond, instead I heard a click signaling he was putting the phone on speakerphone.

"Renesmee?" I heard my mother's wind-chime like voice say.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Is everything ok?" my dad asked.

I ignored his question. "Did you guys know?"

"Know what?"

I was quiet for a second before answering. "About imprinting. About Jake imprinting on me."

I could hear my mother's quiet gasp, but other than that it was quiet on the line for what seemed like minutes.

"Yes," my mom finally answered, "we knew. Jacob said he didn't want you to know about it until it was necessary, he said he wanted you to make your own choices."

"Don't be angry, Nessie," my dad said. "Jacob didn't want you to feel obligated to him."

"I'm not angry," I assured them. "I guess…I guess I'm just trying to process it all."

"How did you find out?" my dad asked. "Did Jacob tell you?" I could almost hear his mood change as things came together in his head. "Are you two…together now?" He was trying not to sound angry, but it wasn't working.

"No, dad," I quickly responded. "We're not together." _Not yet_. "Embry said something about imprinting, forgetting I didn't know. Then I overheard Jake, Seth, and Embry talking about it and I could tell there was something they weren't telling me, so I confronted Jake about it."

My mom responded this time, my dad probably too busy being relieved his daughter wasn't shacking up with, for all intents and purposes, his mortal enemy. "When did you find out?"

"About an hour ago."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I feel kind of…" I searched for the right word, "relieved, I guess. It explains so much. I've always felt this pull toward Jake, now I'm just glad I know why."

"And you and Jacob are still just friends?" my dad double checked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, dad. Don't worry, I didn't jump into bed with him the moment he told me."

I could almost hear my dad cringe. "I'm just checking, Nessie."

I let out a little laugh. "I know, I know."

"Renesmee," my mom began. "Just…take things slow, ok? Don't feel like you have to rush into anything just because you know now."

"I know, mom, I won't." _At least, I'll try not to. _

I talked to my parents for a little while longer, about how things were going in Vancouver and how everyone there was doing. When I hung up the phone, my mind had stopped running at a million miles per minute, and I was finally able to get to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **


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